Flat-iron rest



Oct. 6, 1964 Filed March 22, 1962 INVENTOK GABOKM ATTOR United StatesPatent 3,151,829 FLAT-ERGN REST Gahor Rah, 273 Dovercourt Road, Toronto,(lntario, Canada Filed Mar. 22, 1962, Ser. No. 131,692 4 Claims. (til.248117.l)

This invention relates to a detachable fiat-iron rest to be used inconnection with ironing boards of all types and configurations and withall kinds of tables.

Various kinds of fiat-iron rests have been marketed, some being separatesupports made of iron, steel or other metal, some having fiat surfacesprovided with asbestos or other heat insulating material. Other typesare built as integral units on ironing boards. All of these types werecreated with the idea that the person ironing should have within reachof his or her hand a place to rest the hot flat iron without having todisconnect same and to obviate the danger of fire, or damage to thelaundry. in all these types, the flat-iron is supposed to be placed facedown in the place provided for it. The platform on which the hot iron isplaced after or before ironing, or during the time the ironer has bothhands busy with some other activity, is commonly made either of a metalgrid or other heat conducting material which evenly distributes the heator, as the form of asbestos plates, to work on the principle that theinflammable parts of the work area in proximity to the iron rest shouldbe separated therefrom by heat-insulating material.

The grill type metal supports of prior art structures all have the samedisadvantage, namel that the iron will slip from them at the slightestpush since the iron itself is essentially smooth and will slide easilyin any direction on the surface of the grill. it is not feasible toprovide the grill with a rough surface in order to preclude slipping ascontact with such a surface would prove harmful to the pressing surfaceof the iron. Especially in the modern folding ironing boards which areessentially light in weight, the ironing board is almost constantlymoved to some degree by the ironers motion and it has been found in pracice that the average housewife, while ironing, may drop the iron severaltimes within an hour, unless considerable care is exercised with all theensuing trouble such as breakage of electrical contacts, breakage of thepower cord and soiling of the ironing surface.

In the heat-insulating types of prior art rests, there is a naturaltendency to prevent the iron from sliding too much, as asbestos byitself has a reasonably high coeflici ent of friction. However, theasbestos surface is quite brittle, wears quickly and further cannotessentially be much larger than the surface of the iron itself, with theresult that frequently the ironer misplaces the iron and creates a firehazard or at least scorches the iron pad or clothes. Furthermore, theheat-insulating pad, when deteriorated by use gives a false sense ofsecurity. it has been found that about 50% of all fires caused by anoverheated iron left on the ironing board were caused by just thismistake, namely, that the housewife had confidence in an asbestos padwhich had actually deteriorated to the point of uselessness. Inaddition, even an asbestos surface is smooth enough to allow the iron toslide off the board whenever the ironer pushes against it as oftenhappens. In order to overcome some of the aforementioned problemsflat-iron rests have been elaborated to include a ledge or small fenceto prevent the iron from moving off the rest. The greatest drawback inthis proposal is that the rest must be solidly built on the ironingboard and raises the overall height of the ironing board by a few inchesjust at the right side where the irons hand must travel in each ironingmotion. Consequently, it forces the ironer to keep his or her 3,151,829f e-tented Get. 6, 1964 elbow in an uplifted position, which isunnatural and tiring.

l have found that the proper and practical place for a fiat-iron rest isnot above but below and outside the ironing board in such a positionthat the iron at rest does not extend above the surface of the ironingboard. I also found that in order to secure full maneuverability andsafety in this device, it must be so designed that the iron is placed ina mainly upright position but with its tip still tilting slightlybackwards. If the rest is in this position the ironer can put the ironto rest with a normal natural motion, just as if she or he had finishedthe ironing stroke. The iron itself cannot fall down from its rest orcage even if the board is suddenly and roughly moved and further, thereare no obstacles to the hand or elbow. I also found that in order tohave a truly versatile flatiron rest one must be able to attach anddetach the whole rest to and from any kind of i oning board or table sothat the rest itself can be put aside without taking up much space, andmounted or assembled safely and quickly.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel iron res-twhich will hold a flat iron securely in a readily available position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an iron rest adaptedto be mounted on an ironing board or table in such a manner as topresent no obstacle to a person when ironing.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an ironrest which will dissipate heat rapidly.

Another object is to provide an iron rest which has no parts susceptibleto deterioration in normal use and requires no periodic replacement ofparts.

Still another object is to provide an iron rest, which, while securelyholding an iron, will not structurally damage or otherwise impair theironing surface of a fiat iron.

The fiat-iron rest of the present invention herein dis closed fulfillsthe foregoing requirements. The rest, broadly speaking, comprises a cagemade of a suitable number of upright, horizontal and transversal steelrods, welded or otherwise secured together in a suitable manner and intowhich the flat iron securely rests with ample room to spare. The lowestpart of this cage is provided with a supporting plate on which the rearend of the fiat iron rests with the handle directed towards the operatorand the front tip of the iron pointing upwardly. The flat or ironingsurface of the fiat iron rests on the rear grill of the cage in aslightly slanting position. The lower supporting plate and the reargrill are connected to each other at an angle somewhat less than 90,approximately so that the fiat iron, when placed in the cage, isprevented from falling out by the inclination of the lower plate to thehorizontal, even when the ironing board is shaken.

The cage or iron rest itself is desiged in the form of a laterallysuspended basket and is supported by strong supporting rods on one sideof an ironing board. On the same side the cage may be provided with twosuitably arranged clamping means provided with plates and acounter-plate for fastening to the ironing board. The fastening platesand the counter-plates are interconnected by a fastening screw providedwith a suitable handle or wing in such a way that when the handle orwing is turned the fastening plates and the counter-plate moverelatively to each other. The upright ledge of the ironing board, whichis sometimes below sometimes above the horizontal surface of the ironingboard, is clamped between the fastening plates and counter-plate and thewhole cage is then fastened on this ledge by turning the handle or wingaforementioned. The clamping device, which per se forms no part of thisinvention, is similar to those clamping screws which are generally usedfor the fastening of lamps, meat grinders or similar objects on theledge of a table. I

I have found that all the modern ironing boards are provided with somekind of vertical ledge so that there will be a convenient place to screwon the cage or rest of my invention. In most common tables provided witha ledge overlapping the side of the table there will be also a verticalsurface below the ledge to winch the clamping plates and thecounter-plate can be applied. However, in the case of those tables whichonly have a small horizontal ledge to which the iron rest may beattached it is noted that there are many well known expedients whichcould be used in conjunction with the novel iron rest herein disclosedto overcome any mounting problem, and as aforementioned, as the clampingper se forms no part of the present invention further detail of suchmeans is not deemed necessary herein.

The invention will be more readily understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings appendedhereto wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the iron rest;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the iron rest.

From the drawings it will be seen that the novel ironrest comprises, ina broad sense, a cage connected to a supporting structure which in turnhas attached thereto suitable clamping means for fastening the iron-restas a whole to an ironing board or table in a preferred location thereon.The device is intended to be fastened on the right hand side of theboard or table as seen from an operators position in order to facilitateplacement and removal of an iron in and from said rest.

In the illustrative embodiment shown in the drawings, the aforementionedcage comprises a plurality of laterally spaced, substantially L-shapedwire holding ribs 1, 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d retained in spaced relationshipby a nurrr ber of transverse wire rib members designated 2 and 2t Theribs 2 in addition to interconnecting the upper legs of holding ribs 1,1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, provide rigidity t what may be termed the rear portionof the cage structure while ribs 2a perform a similar dual function withrespect to what may be termed the base portion of the cage structure.

As best seen in FIGURE 1 side ribs or stays 3 extend from holding ribs 1and 1d for connection to the free upper end of the rear portion of thecage structure. The term free upper end refers to that end of the rearportion not connected to, or free and remote from the cage base portion.Side ribs 3a and 3b extend from spaced locations on the base portion forconnection to side rib 3 adjacent the upper end thereof or the freeupper end of the rear cage portion. The side ribs may, if desired, beformed as integral extensions of the transverse ribs 2a. With referenceto FIGURE 2 it will be noted that side ribs 3, 3a and 3b are curvedoutwardly to facilitate positioning of an iron in the rest.

Connected to the base portion as by welding or other suitable expedientis a main supporting plate 4 of thin gauge sheet metal or the like uponwhich the heel or rear end of the iron is supported.

At the upper end of the rear cage portion, holding ribs 1 to 1dinclusive and side ribs 3 are connected to a protective plate member 5.Plate 5 is formed with a rolled top portion for a purpose to be laterdescribed.

To support the cage in preferred location on an ironing board or table asupporting structure is provided comprising a long supporting rod member6 and a short supporting rod member 7 welded at opposite ends of acrossbar 8.

Supporting rod member 6 extends downwardly to a point subjacent thelower ends of side ribs 3 and is provided with a laterally extendingportion which extends laterally underneath the cage structure and iswelded thereto.

Supporting rod member 7 extends downwardly as seen in FIGURE 1 and isalso provided with a laterally extending portion to which is welded therolled top portion of plate member 5. The supporting rod members 6 and 7are so proportioned relative to one another that the rear and baseportions are suitably inclined to the horizontal and this featureprecludes to a great extent, the possibility of the iron being joltedout of the rest accidentally. The further function of protective platemember 5 is to provide an abutting surface for the tip or nose of aflat-iron and thus serves to protect the flatiron work surrace fromdamaging abrasive contact with the rib members of the rear cage section.

As best seen in FIGURE 2 of the drawings, clamping means are providedfor detachably clamping the iron-rest to a work-table although aspreviously stated herein the clamping means shown in the drawings isillustrative only and to those skilled in the art, the possibility ofsubstitution of other types of clamping means in order to adapt theiron-rest for connection to various types and configurations of tablesor ironing boards will be obvious.

Adjustably mounted relative to cross-bar 8 is a main clamping orpressure plate It This pressure plate is pivotally mounted upon a screwmember 9 which threadably engages with cross-bar 8 and is operable bymeans of handle or wing element 9a.

The pressure plate It is further slidably mounted on two generallyJ-shaped members 11 and 11a fixedly connected to cross-bar 8. Members 11and 11a extend through clearance holes in the pressure plate 19. Thus,on rotation of screw 9, plate 16 may be moved relative to two holding orclamping plates 12 and 12a afiixed to the free ends of J-shaped members11 and 11a.

Plates 10, 12 and 12a co-operate in releasably clamping the iron-rest tothe ledge 13 of a table indicated by dotted lines.

To persons skilled in this field, many changes and modifications maybecome readily apparent and the applicant wishes to be limited only bythe scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A flat-iron rest for detachable connection to an ironing-board or thelike, said flat-iron res-t comprising, a first vertical supportingmember provided at the lower end thereof with a horizontal extension; asecond vertical supporting member of greater length than said firstsupporting member and maintained in spaced parallel relationshiptherewith by a cross-bar member connected at respective ends thereof tothe respective upper ends of said supporting members, said secondsupporting member also being provided at the lower end thereof with ahorizontal extension substantially equal in length and parallel to butbelow the extension on said first supporting member; a cage structureincluding a plurality of laterally spaced, substantially L-shapedholding ribs interconnected by a plurality of laterally extending ribmembers, said L-shaped holding ribs defining a rear portion having afree upper end, and a base portion; the free upper end of said rearportion being connected along the length of the horizontal extension ofsaid first vertical supporting member and the base portion resting onand secured to the horizontal extension of said second verticalsupporting member; said vertical supporting members being soproportioned in length relative to one another that the rear and baseportions of the cage structure are inclined to the horizontal whenconnected to said horizontal extensions; a plurality of side memberscurved outwardly with respect to the cage structure and extending fromspaced locations on each side of the base portion for interconnectionwith said free upper end of said rear portion, and clamping meansconnected to said cross-bar for detachably clamping the flat-iron restto an ironhig-board or table.

2. A flat-iron rest as claimed in claim 1 wherein the free upper end ofsaid rear portion is secured to a plate member, said plate member havinga rolled top portion 3,151,829 5 6 for connection to the horizontallyextending portion References Cited in the file of this patent of saidfirst vertical supporting member and operative UNITED STATES PATENTS topreclude contact of a major portion of a fiat-irons Work surface withthe rear portion of said cage structure. 2,472,676 Nunnany June 1949 3.A fiat-iron rest as claimed in claim 2 wherein a sup- 5 FOREIGN PATENTSportin plate covers the entire area of said base portion. 1 4. Zflat-iron rest as claimed in claim 1 wherein the 3:523: rear and baseportions define therebetween an included 24910O Switzerland 51 1948angle, said included angle being approximately 75.

1. A FLAT-IRON REST FOR DETACHABLE CONNECTION TO AN IRONING-BOARD OR THE LIKE, SAID FLAT-IRON REST COMPRISING, A FIRST VERTICAL SUPPORTING MEMBER PROVIDED AT THE LOWER END THEREOF WITH A HORIZONTAL EXTENSION; A SECOND VERTICAL SUPPORTING MEMBER OF GREATER LENGTH THAN SAID FIRST SUPPORTING MEMBER AND MAINTAINED IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH BY A CROSS-BAR MEMBER CONNECTED AT RESPECTIVE ENDS THEREOF TO THE RESPECTIVE UPPER ENDS OF SAID SUPPORTING MEMBERS, SAID SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER ALSO BEING PROVIDED AT THE LOWER END THEREOF WITH A HORIZONTAL EXTENSION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN LENGTH AND PARALLEL TO BUT BELOW THE EXTENSION ON SAID FIRST SUPPORTING MEMBER; A CAGE STRUCTURE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY SPACED, SUBSTANTIALLY L-SHAPED HOLDING RIBS INTERCONNECTED BY A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY EXTENDING RIB MEMBERS, SAID L-SHAPED HOLDING RIBS DEFINING A REAR PORTION HAVING A FREE UPPER END, AND A BASE PORTION; THE FREE UPPER END OF SAID REAR PORTION BEING CONNECTED ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE HORIZONTAL EXTENSION OF SAID FIRST VERTICAL SUPPORTING MEMBER AND THE BASE PORTION RESTING ON AND SECURED TO THE HORIZONTAL EXTENSION OF SAID SECOND VERTICAL SUPPORTING MEMBER; SAID VERTICAL SUPPORTING MEMBERS BEING SO PROPORTIONED IN LENGTH RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER THAT THE REAR AND BASE PORTIONS OF THE CAGE STRUCTURE ARE INCLINED TO THE HORIZONTAL WHEN CONNECTED TO SAID HORIZONTAL EXTENSIONS; A PLURALITY OF SIDE MEMBERS CURVED OUTWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE CAGE STRUCTURE AND EXTENDING FROM SPACED LOCATIONS ON EACH SIDE OF THE BASE PORTION FOR INTERCONNECTION WITH SAID FREE UPPER END OF SAID REAR PORTION, AND CLAMPING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CROSS-BAR FOR DETACHABLY CLAMPING THE FLAT-IRON REST TO AN IRONING-BOARD OR TABLE. 